Most weeks throughout the year, a group of like-minded business people meet on Auckland’s North Shore to share business knowledge and networks over a hosted lunch. Called WYNners (which stands for Widen Your Networks), annual highlight is the members-only Christmas party. This year the group decided to widen their networks to include a local charity on the North Shore.

Erin Adkins of North Shore Printing.com says, “Many of us work and live on the Shore so it made sense to focus on giving back to our community here. We put our networks to use and found a rugby Mum with links to the Salvation Army and discovered we could donate Christmas gifts for children there”.

Joe Hoonhout of IT Solutions Ltd and Chairperson of WYNners explains, “WYNners is all about our wider networks. What we know is that if you approach this room with a problem, or needing to find a person, a solution or a cause, the room has a way of providing it. We’re genuinely out to help each other and it’s a great bunch of people”.

Erin continues, “We’re also about working smarter not harder. The Salvation Army does a terrific job and has the distribution mechanisms in place. All we had to do was get in behind it and show our support”.

WYNners members each purchased a child’s gift, wrapped it and identified it by age and gender
appropriateness, and brought it to the group’s Christmas party. Erin, Joe and Les Probert of Thexton,
Armstrong, Probert were then able to drop the gifts in person to Jenny Collings at the Albany Bays
Corp.

It’s the right time of year and the right kind of people to want to be giving back to the community.
“We just wanted to do our bit”, says Joe. The Salvation Army is still open for community support so if
you’d like to donate as well, gifts are welcome at the Salvation Army Rosedale Road.

WYNners meets at Meadowood Community House each Wednesday from early February through to
December. Find out more at www.wynners.co.nz.